Rick Chance

Rick Chance was a Tempe, Arizona-based businessman, known throughout the Western United States for founding and advertising Empire Auto Glass, an auto windshield replacement company that dominated the industry by offering free meals at local restaurants. He was known as a generous benefactor, making sizable donations to various charities and ministries. Those who knew him called him a good friend, devout Christian, and loving father.

On August 9, 2002, Chance's body was discovered in a Tempe hotel room where he was fatally shot the night before. Several days later, police in Tacoma, Washington apprehended strippers Brandi Lynn Hungerford and Robert Donald Lemke II in connection with Chance's murder. The couple killed Chance while robbing him of a cache of jewelry worth over one million dollars.

While the media portrayed Rick Chance as a handsome success whose life was cut short, many felt his death was predestined or provoked by his lifestyle. His third wife also hired an undercover officer by the name of Mike Valentine to kill her husband because she was tired of his so-called "abusive nature". She was then arrested.

Rick Chance's company had also seen its share of lawsuits. One of their employees ran a red light injuring a soldier PFC Smircic at the Papago Military Installation. The soldier's right hip was crushed, suffered a concussion and trauma to the chest - ruining the soldier's military career. Empire Glass hid the fact that it was their employee who had injured the soldier and refused to allow service of court documents. The Empire Glass employee had tricked the officer at the scene into believing he didn't speak English. The Empire Glass employee later showed up to repair another soldier's windshield at the military installation. His true identity and employer were then discovered and Empire Glass settled out of court three years after the incident. The settlement was made just months before the sale of Empire Glass and Rick Chance's murder.

His death brought attention from media across the nation. Brandi Hungerford, the exotic dancer Rick Chance had been dating, pled guilty to Rick Chance's murder in exchange for second-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy charges. The former stripper was also sentenced to a concurrent 12 year term for robbery and conspiracy charges. On the murder change she was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

In 2005, a jury found Robert Donald Lemke II guilty of theft and conspiracy to commit theft. However, jurors were hung on the murder charge.

On September 5, the former male stripper changed his plea to guilty of first-degree murder and admitted that he shot Chance in the chest during a robbery.

The 29-year-old was sentenced to life in prison on October 5, 2005. The sentence will run concurrent with his 27-year sentence for theft and conspiracy to commit theft. Lemke has requested that he be transferred to the Washington State prison system.

As part of a plea agreement, he’ll be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.

References

• "The Death of a Salesman." Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice, TruTV (2008)
• "Gem Thieves: Arizona Stripper In Jewel Robbery/Murder." The Gemstone Forecaster, Fall, 2002.
• Gribben, Mark. All about the Murder of Rick Chance
• Miller, Carlos. "Multimillionaire found slain in Tempe hotel." The Arizona Republic, Aug. 10, 2002.
• Kiefer, Michael. ""Lemke pleads guilty in auto-glass mogul's death." The Arizona Republic, Sept. 5, 2007.
• ABC15.com staff, wire reports. "Valley woman sentenced for murder of Rick Chance." KNXV-TV ABC-15 Phoenix, 9/20/2007.

External links

• The Arizona Republic
• The Gemstone Forecaster